How to Be Approved for a CPAP Machine
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which a person periodically stops breathing when asleep. CPAP works by blowing pressurized air into the patient's upper airway, which keeps the soft palate from prolapsing and blocking the airway. Physicians have come to recognize sleep apnea as a life-threatening medical condition, and are usually quite ready to help patients receive the CPAP machines they need to get a good night's sleep.Things You'll Need
- Health insurance
Instructions
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Make an appointment with your general practitioner medical doctor. Let her or him know the symptoms you've been experiencing that make you suspect you have sleep apnea (extreme daytime tiredness, sore throat or headache on waking up, severe snoring). Your doctor will make an appointment for a sleep study at a nearby hospital or sleep center.
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Go to your sleep study, which will be conducted overnight. While you sleep, clinicians will measure your breathing rate, your blood oxygen level, your heart rate, and other data. In particular, they will measure how many times you stop breathing during the course of the night. If your apnea rate is high enough, they will fit you with a CPAP mask and see what air pressure is high enough to eliminate your apnea. They will produce a report which is sent to your physician or to a sleep specialist.
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Phone your doctor's office to find out whether the results of your sleep study indicate you qualify for CPAP therapy. Your doctor will write a prescription for CPAP which will include the pressure at which your equipment needs to be sent. This prescription will be sent to a local home health equipment supplier.
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Make an appointment with a respiratory therapist at the home health supplier that has received your prescription. They will demonstrate the operation of your CPAP machine, fit you with an appropriate mask, and deal with your insurance provider to arrange for payment.
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